The Karaneeswarar Temple is a 12th-century

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

in the neighbourhood of

Mylapore Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, India. The temple is dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

as Karaneeswarar. There are also shrines to Sarvamangala Vinayaka (

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

), Dandapani (

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

and

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

Legend

According to legend, a young

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

in Mylapore worshipped a

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

, a symbol of Shiva. Through his penance, he discovered that Shiva was responsible for the creation, protection, and destruction of the universe. Subsequently, the lingam became the main deity of this temple, came to be known as Karaneeswarar (literally "one who causes"). While there is no concrete proof, it is widely believed that this temple may date back to the 12th century CE.

Architecture and Deities

The main deities of the temples are Karaneeswara (

) and his consort Porkodi Amman (

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

). The temple is located at Bazaar road in the middle stretch of the popular Kutcheri road in Mylapore. It is about half a kilometer from the famous

Kapaleeswarar temple The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. It is located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of South Indian Architecture.#Kamath, ...

. Karaneeswara means "the Lord who is the cause" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. Shiva is believed to be the primordial cause of the universe which is his very form. He is also the Lord who can teach us the causality behind all events. The main deities are found in two separate shrines. The temple has a small tower and as per the tradition followed in all old South Indian temples, this temple also has bali peeth, flag staff and Nandi idol facing the main shrine. The entrance of the main shrine has the idols of Shiva's son

and Dhandayudhapani (a form of

Subramanya Subramaniam, Subrahmaniam, Subramaniam or Subramanian (; ) is a South Indian male given name. Due to the South Indian tradition of using patronymic surnames it may also be a surname for males and females. The etymology of the name is from Sanskri ...

). The following shrines are also found in this temple: *

Nataraja Nataraja (/ n̪əʈəɾɑd͡ʒᵊ/ ,, ; , ''Naṭarājar'' Telugu: నటరాజు,''Naṭarāju''), also known as Adalvallan (), is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is ca ...

(Shiva as Lord of Dance) with his consort Sivakami *

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

* Arunachaleswarar (a form of Shiva) as a lingam with his consort Annamalai * Subramanya with his consorts

Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...

and

Devasena Devasena (, , ) is the Hindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasen ...

* Ganesha with his consorts Siddhi and Buddhi * Saneeswarar *

Navagraha The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine part ...

The following idols are additionally found in this temple: * Ganesha *

Nalvar The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; , and later 'teachers of Shiva') were a group of 63 Tamils, Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. Along with the Alvars, their contemporaries who were de ...

– the four great devotees of Shiva * Sekkilhar *

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

* 3–4 Shiv Lingas under the tree

Religious practices

Devotees believe the temple visit can cure any ailment or disease. Karaneeswarar is also said to grant material boons. The worship of Karaneeswarar and his consort is said to grant a happy family life and amicability amongst family members. An offering of a mixture—of coconut oil, sesame oil (gingelly) and

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans, the seeds of the plant ''Ricinus communis''. The seeds are 40 to 60 percent oil. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its den ...

in equal parts—to light oil lamps in multiples of six, is prescribed in this temple. Another important ritual is the

Pradakshina Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alon ...

(circumbulation).

Religious Significance

Karaneeswara temple is one of the Sapta Sthana Shiva temples in Mylapore (one of the seven sacred Shiva temples in Mylapore).ஆரூர்.சுந்தரசேகர், பெருமைமிக்க மயிலாப்பூரில் சப்த சிவஸ்தலங்கள்!! விகடகவி, 16 மே 2020
/ref> They are: # Karaneeswarar Temple # Tirttapaleeswarar Temple #

Velleeswarar Temple Velleeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil nadu, India. The presiding deity is Shiva as Velleeswarar. This mid-sized temple, spread over 2 acres is one amongst the Seven Shiva Temples of Mylapore. It is situated at South Ma ...

# Virupakshiswarar Temple # Valeeswarar Temple # Malleeswarar Temple #

Kapaleeshwarar Temple The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. It is located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of South Indian Architecture. Kamath ...

In addition to these "Sapta Sthana Shiva sthalas", the

Ekambareshwarar–Valluvar temple The Ekambareswarar–Kamakshi Temple, commonly known as the Thiruvalluvar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, Valluvar in the neighborhood of Mylapore in Chennai, India. The shrine is located within the Ekambareswa ...

in the neighbourhood is traditionally considered the indispensable eighth.

Legend

Architecture and Deities

Religious practices

Religious Significance

See also

References

Further reading